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Slot Machines
Given the risk-and-reward element inherent in Wheel of Fortune, it's no surprise that the show would be adapted into various slot machines beginning in the late 1990s. Unsurprisingly, given the show's pedigree, these became some of the most successful slot machines ever made. This page discusses these slot machines. For the board games and miscellaneous other adaptations released since 1975, see Board games and other adaptations; for the video game and redemption game adaptations released since 1986, see Video games. Note: The name has been used in conjunction with classic machines such as Double Diamond and Red White & Blue. 1997 IGT made their first Wheel slot machine using various elements based off of the show for bonuses, such as the Wheel and Bonus Round podium. In the five-slot game, three symbols needed to appear for the player to access the Bonus Round. 1998 IGT made another slot machine, this time with a bonus Wheel at the top. In order to spin the 22-wedge Wheel with values ranging from 20-1,000 credits, a SPIN symbol needed to appear on the payline. Winning combinations were not required to spin the Wheel. This would become the basis of IGT's Wheel slot machines, which continue to use Charlie O'Donnell's voice even after his death in 2010. The same year, Tiger Electronics made a handheld Wheel of Fortune Slots game based on IGT's slot machine. Their prototype's Wheel was the same as IGT's, but had a different color scheme based on the packaging layout from their 1995 Wheel game and also included a black "Super Jackpot!" space in white letters just counterclockwise of $1,000. The game was released with a 24-wedge Wheel, but had the same numeric values as IGT's Wheel; the black "Super Jackpot!" space was kept, although on some units it was red with white lettering. 2005-07 In 2005, IGT released a Special Edition slots. The following year, they made an enhanced version named Wheel of Fortune: Special Edition Super Spin, called such because it could seat nine players at a time and had a giant Wheel as the centerpiece. If a bonus was activated by more than one player, those players would use the same spin. By 2007, a more compact version of the Super Spin was introduced. This time, only five players could be seated and the Wheel was vertical (albeit with a noticeable slant), similar to the Shopper's Bazaar Wheel. Starting in 2009, to coincide with Season 27, that season's intro was used on the video monitors accompanying the machines. 2010 In 2010, IGT released Wheel of Fortune Experience (so named because, in addition to Wheel spinning, it also involved solving puzzles). Of IGT's games, this is perhaps the most emulative of the show's rules. IGT later released Wheel of Fortune Experience 2 on the Center Stage Duo. 2011 In 2011, IGT released Triple Spin, which allowed players to play up to three games at a time on one machine. The large Center Stage overhead screen at the top allowed players who have won bonuses to spin up to three Wheels. MEGAfx Surround Chairs gave players surround-sound audio to enhance the experience. Later that year, Triple Extreme Spin was released on the Center Stage Duo platform, using the Siberian Storm slots game as the basis. 2012-13 In 2012, IGT announced Wild Getaway and Wild Wedges. The following year, they announced Dazzling Gems, Wild Gems, and Triple Wild Spins. 2014 By Summer 2014, Ultra Wheels (in which the Bonus Round functioned similarly to that of Triple Extreme Spin) was released. 2015 By early 2015, the aforementioned Wild Gems was released. Additionally, Jackpot Paradise, More Money, and Power Wedges were announced. The Jackpot Paradise Bonus Wheel has 24 wedges instead of IGT's usual 22.Category:Lists Category:Merchandise